The Jurist President and Mikhail Khodorkovsky
An editorial in Nezavisimaya Gazeta urges President Dmitry Medvedev, who has positioned himself as both a lawyer and political leader, to exert his influence on the development of Russia's "legality as justice".
The paper states that for a law-based state, the court is independent, unbiased, objective, and incorruptible. However this is not the case in Russia. For Mikhail Khodorkovsky, it is not to be ruled out that a new conviction could be perceived as "legality without justice." The article believes that showing mercy to Khodorkovsky would instantly transform Dmitry Medvedev into Politician #1 in Russia, and, on the other hand, would provoke attacks upon him on the part of conservative forces. For whom mercy is always a demonstration of weakness and cruelty and brute force are valued without any conversation about justice.